After
the formation of SELNEC (South East Lancashire/North East Cheshire) Passenger
Transport Executive on 1st November 1969 there was a major programme
of
standardisation
and replacement of inherited older vehicles, many of which were still front
engined back loaders with the standard designed Leyland Atlantean/Daimler
Fleetline. However it was quite apparent as the 1970s came to a close that the
Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline would not be available forever. Indeed
they had been in production in early form since 1959 and 1962 respectively and
the technology with rear and under-floor engine chassis was progressing.
Although in 1979 and 1980 it looked as if separate chassis production with
independent body builders might come to an end with vehicles being of integral
or semi integral off the peg designs as are cars, lorries and other vehicles,
with the introduction of the Leyland Titan and MCW Metrobus, this did not
happen. GMT did buy small quantities of these vehicles, being 15 Leyland Titans
and 190 MCW Metrobuses. These were placed in main fleet series as they were
intended to be operational vehicles and originally it was intended they would be
delivered in larger numbers had it not been for supply problems, particularly
with the Titan.

That
aside Greater Manchester Transport were conscious that they would need to look
at developing their standard body to fit the new rear or mid engined chassis and
embarked upon a close collaboration with Northern Counties who were the main
supplier of their standard bodied Leyland Atlanteans and Daimler Fleetlines to
come up with what was hoped to be the standard bus of the future, the Foden NC
rear engined bus. Foden working in collaboration with Northern Counties and GMT
provided the chassis with Northern Counties adapting the standard body being
fitted to Atlanteans and Fleetlines to fit. The main specifications of the
chassis were as follows:-

TRANSFER
GEARBOX – FODEN
Comprising of a four gear train including two idler gears. A pressure
lubrication system is used with an integral gear pump. Also included in the
gearbox is an
auxiliary
gear drive for the vehicle alternator driving alternator at 2.26 x engine
speed. Gearbox input at 1.3 x engine speed.

In fact
in total after a half vehicle experiment was built only six of these vehicles
were ever put into production, two of which were delivered to Greater Manchester
Transport and were numbered 1435 (LNA 258R) and 1436 (PNE 358R). The
remaining four went to West Yorkshire, Derbyshire, PMT and the West Midlands.

A
seventh Foden chassis was built but this was bodied by East Lancs for South
Yorkshire. These Foden NCs did not prove popular and 1435 and 1436 were
withdrawn well before their normal vehicle life of 13 years expired.

John
Cherry from whom we purchased 4002 (ANE 2T) has the only two Foden double deck buses left in existence being the
West Yorkshire vehicle (TUB 250R) and the West Midlands vehicle (ROC 300R). In
order to ensure that these survive into the future in respect of spare parts he
purchased mechanical parts from the Derby Foden, the PMT Foden which was
scrapped at Barnsley and the half experimental Foden which had been purchased
previously by Bullocks. He sets out his story below:

The Two
that Got Away

In 1999
I was looking for a modern double decker bus for my Aintree Coachline fleet when
I saw an advert for two Dennis Dominator buses. I called the number given and
spoke to a very unusual dealer in buses, namely the Reverend David Green (now
deceased) in Weymouth. He said that they were the two Blackburn ones LFV 131T
and LFV 132T which had been to Rennies and were now garaged with the rest of his
stock at Filers in Bristol.

The
following week we went down there and soon determined that they were in a
terrible state both bodily and mechanically, so whilst looking around the rest
of the stock which consisted of Leopards and VRs we came upon TUB 250R. In the
line of vehicles and devoid of all badges it looked at first like a West
Yorkshire Fleetline similar to one I already had, but of course it was of the
seven Fodens built in 1976-1978. After sale by WYPTE to David Green it lived on
the pathway to his church for several years until the Bishop saw it one day and
wanted it moved. A deal was struck over the phone and we drove it home.

On the
way home we came upon a broken down National Express Coach on the M5 so we
picked up the passengers and dropped them off in Hilton Park Services on the M6
(the only time a Foden has done National Express work?)

TUB
soon settled down to a regular pattern of Merseytravel Tendered Services on
Monday to Friday and local private hires at weekends with a visit to the Heart
of the Pennines Rally in Halifax to return it to its roots for the day.
However, it started to become evident that spares were becoming difficult to
source (despite the vehicle coming with a lot of second-hand parts from the
Derby Foden) and TUB then became just a toy.

The main difficulty
was the Foden transfer box which speeds up the Gardner engine revs to a suitable
speed for the Allison gearbox through a series of gears. As no definite figures
could be obtained for the gears, etc., we resorted to trial and error with a new
set that we had cut. This new set soon started to show wear and so,
reluctantly, TUB was retired and parked up in the depot pending a
decision on its future. Several years later the Potteries Foden was sent for
scrap to Trevor Wrigleys and it was possible to buy the drive-train from it
which when fitted to TUB gave it a new lease of life, a repaint in to the
new company colours of red and cream followed and she will shortly be sent to be
PSV tested and will attend several rallies.

During
2005 contact was made by the new owner of ROC 300R, the WMPTE Foden who was
trying to sell it on having purchased it from Goldsmiths Coaches in Suffolk (the
only other Foden NC to work for an independent). I decided to buy it and towed
it home from Wythall to live in our Eastham Depot alongside its sister vehicle.
To my surprise the engine started despite its 15 years out of service and ran
very sweetly. Unfortunately, frost damage had caused a crack in the block and
its transfer box was holed by a seized gear (same old problem). The vehicle did
however come with the drive-train from the half vehicle test bed that had been
only completed up to the top deck. This vehicle was bought by Bullocks of
Cheadle and while the engine was lifted into a Fleetline, the transfer box was
still intact. I have now repaired the engine and fitted the new transfer box so
both Fodens are now runners with ROC now being re-panelled and due to be
repainted into WMPTE colours. I do not think that two Fodens ever appeared
together at any rally so possibly the Trans-Lancs in 2005 will be the first
time.

The
significance of the title? Not that they were the only two not to be scrapped
but TUB 250R and ROC 300R were the only two Fodens that I never saw or
photographed in service with their original owners as they were always off the
road or at Fodens when I tried to see them.